Bio

“Intriguing repertoire of the highest level combined with Cameron’s natural charisma made his solo recital one of the best I have ever seen.”

- Michael DowningLecturer in Percussion, University of the Pacific

Biography

American percussionist Cameron Leach is a bold performer recognized for his expressive virtuosity, musical athleticism, and daring interpretations. An engaging and thoughtful soloist, Leach has concertized across the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. He has appeared at some of the world’s finest institutions, including the Royal Danish Academy of Music, Royal Northern College of Music, Sibelius Academy, and the Norwegian Academy of Music, and notable halls such as the Lila Cockrell Theater, Ohio Theatre, Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, and China’s National Centre for the Performing Arts. Leach is the winner of both the Percussive Arts Society International Solo Artist Competition and Yamaha Young Performing Artist Competition, and was awarded the prestigious Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music. Along with his active touring schedule, he regularly performs with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, and recently held a professorship at Kent State University’s Hugh A. Glauser School of Music. Leach is endorsed by Black Swamp Percussion, Beetle Percussion, Sabian Cymbals, and Malletech.

Highlights from the 2017-2018 season include the debut of his new electroacoustic solo show ELISION, a European Tour as Co-Principal of the World Percussion Group, the world premiere of Paul Lansky’s Metal Light for the Percussive Arts Society, and a performance of Jennifer Higdon’s Percussion Concerto with the Eastman Wind Ensemble. Additionally, he performed Peter Maxwell Davies’ seminal Eight Songs for a Mad King with Ensemble id, a Rochester, NY-based chamber collective. His latest project, the Leach | Peters Percussion Duo, debuted on the Eastman Summer Concert Series in July 2018.

Leach’s 2018-2019 season is marked by an array of solo appearances, guest artist engagements, and world premieres. Kicking off with a performance at China’s National Percussion Festival, Leach then embarks on recital and clinic tours of California, Florida, and the Midwest. In March 2019, Leach will give the world premiere of Dave Maric’s Spiel, a percussion concerto for wind ensemble and electronics commissioned for him by the Capital University Conservatory of Music. Following a week-long residency at Purdue University Fort Wayne, Leach will tour a recital program throughout the Pacific Northwest with Orphic Percussion, a California-based percussion quartet. To close out the season, Leach will serve on faculty at the MalletLab Summer Intensive in West Palm Beach, FL, spend a week in residence as the featured artist for the Space City New Music Festival in Houston, TX, and teach at the inaugural World Percussion Group Summer Academy in Las Vegas, NV. Looking ahead, Leach will make his concerto debut with the Grammy-nominated Dallas Winds during the 2019-2020 season.

Devoted to the creation and performance of new music, Leach continues to commission diverse works for solo percussion, with a special focus on the inclusion of electronics. During his time at the Eastman School of Music, Leach was named an inaugural winner of the Eastman/ArtistShare Partnership, allowing him to commission Matt Curlee’s massive Decay No. 2 for solo percussion and electronics. His latest commissioning project, David Skidmore’s I Leave You the Real World for solo vibraphone and electronics, brought together a consortium of 50+ percussionists from all over the world. Upcoming commissions include two works for speaking/acting percussionist by Paul Pinto and Linda Kernohan, a new marimba solo with electronics by Emmanuel Séjourné, a snare drum solo with electronics by Vera Stanojevic, and a piece for percussion duo with saxophone quartet by Baljinder Sekhon. Leach has premiered pieces by Michael Burritt, Paul Lansky, Jeff Tyzik, Alejandro Viñao, Annie Gosfield, Tim Feeney, Jon Lin Chua, and Frédéric Chiasson.

Leach makes regular appearances at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, having performed with the Eastman Percussion Ensemble and on the Competition Winner’s Showcase Concert in 2017, on the Focus Day Series and as a member of the All-Star International Percussion Ensemble in 2015, and with the Rhythm X Indoor Percussion Ensemble in 2011. In addition to his work as a concert artist, Leach also has a strong background in marching percussion, having won world titles with the Blue Devils Drum & Bugle Corps and Rhythm X.